Yesterday I wrote about the back story on our need to release an updated Scanner Kit SDK for the iPhone. If you are a developer who has already used our SDK in your app to scan barcodes or you are a developer thinking about using our SDK in your app – please download our new version ASAP. From the release notes:
NEW – (Friday July 30th, 2010) – Version 4.0.0
- Complete overhaul of underlying barcode scanning and camera frame grabbing logic.
- Vastly improved performance and API enhancements
- Full compatibility with iOS 4.0 and Apple’s App Store policies and guidelines. (No more “UIGetScreenImage()”)
- Full compatibility with iPhone 4, 3GS and 3G devices
Download the Scanner Kit SDK for iPhone today!
Posted by amuse | July 30, 2010 - 6:26pm | No Comments
Category: Big in Japan, ShopSavvy (iPhone), barcode
WARNING: Don’t update your app if you use our Scanner Kit SDK until you get our new 2.0 version (hopefully released tomorrow).
Earlier this month Apple stopped accepting apps that made use of UIGetScreenImage call (allowing apps like ShopSavvy to take a snapshot of the iPhone’s screen). This ‘call’ has always been private, but Apple made an exception to allow apps like ShopSavvy to work. Apple made it VERY clear from the start that this ‘private’ call would not longer be available once they released their new public API for the camera in IOS4. The new public API is amazing and makes ShopSavvy and our Scanner Kit SDK work like a dream.The downside is that if you have implemented our SDK in your app (or any other barcode scanning library that worked prior to IOS4) Apple will reject your app if you try to update it right now.
Our team saw this coming a mile away and has been working tirelessly to update our scanner kit to stop using the private call in favor of the new public API and as of today our Scanner Kit is working really well. We will be testing tomorrow, but hopefully by the end of the day we will release the SDK publicly.
The new SDK will use NONE of the private methods and will also work significantly better as we replaced all of our slow, shaky, hacky work-around code with Apple’s new officially supported, high-performance camera API calls. Our new 2.0 version scans faster, is more accurate and since it is not using any private, unsupported methods, it will not break whenever Apple releases an update.
Finally, another important thing to note is that Apple is dropping support for the iPhone 2G (original iPhone). They aren’t allowing users to install iOS 4 on it. Therefore it won’t be possible publish an app/update that does real-time barcode scanning on a 2G because iPhone OS 3.x can’t interact with the camera without UIGetScreenImage() which is now back on Apple’s blacklist. Apple said they will grandfather in the old apps that use this and won’t pull them out of the store, they just won’t approve any updates or new apps that use UIGetScreenImage. If you are a 2G user or OS3.X user feel free to use ShopSavvy Classic as it will never be updated – it is Grand Fathered in the app store.
Posted by amuse | July 29, 2010 - 9:00pm | No Comments
Category: ShopSavvy (iPhone), barcode
The team here at Big in Japan has been busy working with retailers (and other groups) on various programs, but the most surprising activity is around QR Codes. Just pick up a newspaper and you will read about how QR codes are starting to take hold here in the US. Earlier this year we began supporting QR Code scanning on both the Android and iPhone versions of ShopSavvy. Of course, there were very few QR Codes to scan. I am here to tell you that is about to change.
Lots of retailers like Best Buy plan to include QR Codes in their stores to help consumers learn more about the products they are selling. Look for the strange little two dimensional barcodes near product displays. You can scan these codes with ShopSavvy and you will receive the information that the retailer is interested in providing to you. Of course, you can still scan the one dimensional barcodes (i.e. the UPC or EAN code) on products and get the standard price comparison you have come to expect from ShopSavvy.
Just as ShopSavvy can scan these QR Codes from Best Buy we can also help retailers power their own apps with 2D reading technology. Both our iPhone and Android developer SDKs offer QR Code scanning support – just drop our libraries into a retailer’s mobile app and consumers can begin scanning right away.
Of course 2D codes are popping up on websites like Facebook and in stores thanks to Google’s Favorite places program. We support both of these programs today. Perhaps the most interesting use of 2D codes is by cities. In Washington DC we now support scanning of QR codes in DC Circulator Buses. This month the city added QR Codes on all bus stops and bus shelters. Riders who have ShopSavvy can scan these codes to see a map of their route, their current location and the next bus stop.
Posted by amuse | July 26, 2010 - 11:00am | 1 Comment
Category: Android, QR Code, ShopSavvy (Android), ShopSavvy (iPhone), barcode
More than two thousand developers have downloaded our iPhone/Android barcode reading SDK. It supports scanning on all iPhones and Android phones including older 2G and 3G iPhones. Starting two weeks ago our SDK began supporting the newest smartphone operating system – Apple’s iOS 4.0 (being released later today).
Some of you may have noticed the folder called BarcodeKit-iPhonsOS4.X in the SDK. This is the code you have been looking for – making barcode scanning a snap on the iPhone 3GS and iPhone 4.
Just a quick programming note for ShopSavvy. We have been testing ShopSavvy with the new OS without a hiccup, but we did get a report from another developer that it was crashing after the scan. We can’t replicate it and the developer hasn’t been able to send us a crash log. Anyway, if you have an issue please let us know ASAP: support@biggu.com – Thanks!
Posted by amuse | June 21, 2010 - 11:31am | No Comments
Category: barcode
Jake and Rylan thought it might be smart to run one of those ‘tweet to win’ contests here at Big in Japan. I aim to please so Aaron quickly (in a day) put together this simple promo. Just visit this link – ShopSavvy Promo – and 1) follow @shopsavvy and 2) tweet the included message for a chance to win either (your choice) an iPhone 4 or HTC EVO. Pretty simple. Hopefully the folks who tweet about ShopSavvy will actually download the app (i.e. users are more valuable than followers). What do you say?
ShopSavvy Tweet to win promo - win an iPhone 4 or HTC EVO
Posted by amuse | June 11, 2010 - 1:52pm | No Comments
Category: Android, Big in Japan, ShopSavvy (Android), ShopSavvy (iPhone), barcode
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